Document processing mechanisms and methods used in producing personalized cards and other personalized documents have been employed by institutions that issue such documents. Identity documents, which are often personalized by such systems and methods, include plastic and composite cards, for instance financial (e.g. credit and debit) cards, drivers' licenses, national identification cards, and other cards and documents, such as passports, which are personalized with information unique to the intended document holder.
Document processing mechanism can be designed for relatively small scale, individual document personalization and production. In these mechanisms, a single document to be personalized is input into a processing machine, which typically includes one or two personalization/processing capabilities, such as printing and laminating. These processing machines are often termed desktop processing machines because they have a relatively small footprint intended to permit the processing machine to reside on a desktop. Many examples of desktop processing machines are known, such as the SD or CD family of desktop card printers available from Entrust Datacard Corporation of Shakopee, Minn. Other examples of desktop processing machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,434,728 and 7,398,972, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
For large volume batch production of personalized documents, institutions often utilize systems that employ multiple processing stations or modules to process multiple documents at the same time to reduce the overall per document processing time. Examples of such machines include the MX and MPR family of central issuance processing machines available from Entrust Datacard Corporation of Shakopee, Minn. Other examples of central issuance processing machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,825,054, 5,266,781, 6,783,067, and 6,902,107, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. As with desktop document processing machines, batch processing machines also include printing and laminating capabilities.
Some processing operations in these machines, however, may produce undesired bowing effects in a document. That is, a bend may occur in the document as a result of the processing operation(s) performed on the document. Particularly, this bowing problem can occur as a result of heat lamination of the document and other heat transfer operations that, when performed, may create a bow or bend in the document.
One example of a technique for debowing personalized cards is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,700 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Another example of a technique for debowing personalized cards is disclosed in U.S. Published Application 2014/0345787 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
An example of retransfer printing followed by debowing of the card is contained in the Artista® VHD module used in the MX6100™ Card Issuance System available from Entrust Datacard Corporation of Shakopee, Minn. In the VHD module, an elevator mechanism lowers the card from the main card path to a lower card path, where the card is then fed into an image transfer station where a heated roller set transfers a printed image from a retransfer ribbon onto the front surface of the card. The card is next moved to a debowing mechanism where the card is flexed into a reversed bow position. Next, the card is passed to an elevator mechanism which moves the card back up to the main card path.